In The Middle
by Holding Onto Faith
Summary: An ancient artifact, a devious organization, a plot to take over all three worlds, and an American girl who was thrown into the middle of it all. "Hey, come on try a little. Nothing is forever. There's got to be something better than In the Middle." R&R, please! I fail at summaries, but hopefully you'll join me in this adventure of the Yu Yu Hakusho Universe! HieiXOC


"Don't you think you have done enough wallowing this week," the older sister of the girl asked, leaning against the door frame. Her younger sister had slept for fourteen hours that night, but that's how it's been since her heart got stomped and wiped off on like a used mat. Helen knew the feeling all too well, and having it felt more than once, hell, more than a couple of times, but it was no excuse to waste your life away. Especially in her situation, she had a two year old girl to take care of by herself.

"Mmmffggg," was the response she got from her little sister, Parker. It was a half assed groan.

"Heartbreak or not, it's the first day of your senior year in freakin' Japan. You are miles away from the predator, I will protect you!" An angry sigh left between her lips when she had the same pathetic response. Now she personally knew how her mother felt every school morning.

Though, their mother and father were long gone from this world. Helen worked as a teacher at a private school in Japan where she taught, and has been for the last couple of years. Japanese wasn't in their ancestry, but it was a language she took in High School and taught it to her sister for sport. Now as a language and history teacher who taught English and Japanese, she made sure Parker was as good on paper as she was fluent.

"Parker Montgomery, get your ass out of that bed right now, or I'll get the ice water."  
The older sister almost smiled this time at the quick response of Parker throwing the blankets off and sitting up in a sleepy daze, turning to leave as she said over her shoulder.

"Be ready in ten minutes. We want to be there nice and early." She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. It was better than finishing her senior year and having to see him everyday. There were things Helen didn't know that her previous relationship brought, and honestly, it was better this way. Those things kept her alive in her nightmares and caused tremors. Fighting off a shiver, she stretched and got up to get ready.  
Parker launched herself into the passengers seat, combing through her blonde curls. She had enough time to slap on some facial lotion and chapstick, because she wasn't the too favorite of makeup. The lotion helped releave the dark circles she frequently got under her eyes. Though her hair as usual was being unmanageable, she put some product in it to define the curls and keep it from being entirely too frizzy. Not enough patience this morning to grab the flat iron.

"Do you want me to come in with ya?"

"Nah, I'm a big girl," she managed to smile a bit and leapt out of the vehicle. She turned, almost forgetting the case in the back that held her acoustic guitar, strapping it to her back. Then she leaned in to give her niece, Lucy, a nice kiss to her forehead. _This was not the day_, she thought as she was getting weird looks at her way when she departed the vehicle entirely. _Okay I get it, I stand out, now stop staring._ She knew it was because of how American she looked amongst the lot of brown or black haired girls with visa versa matching eyes. Biting her lip to preoccupy her from the stares, she headed into the building to find the front desk.  
T

he first day didn't go as bad as Parker thought, but honestly, she made the mistake of relaxing too soon. As soon as she closed her locker, the books she had in her arms were slammed out onto the floor, her guitar which was propped next to her falling over, and Parker felt a vein pop in her forehead. The guitar, even though her playing was mediocre, was a gift from her now deceased parents. All her materials rolled and plopped along the hallway floors, and the tips of her ears heated in embarrassment at the sound of snickers.

"Welcome to Japan, American trash," a girl snided, popping her hand on her hip, giving her a dirty look. _Well aren't you just the most cliche bully in existence_, Parker thought with another twitch in aggravation. She resisted the urge to pop the look right off her round face. There were two other girls behind her giving her the same disgusting look. _Of course Japan would have a terrible queen bee and popularity crowd of Mean Girls._ A crowd conjured up in curiosity, and she resisted fighting the urge to groan in annoyance.

"Oh you sure showed me," Parker snapped, making out her irritated mood not as quite as she would have preferred, but leaned to flick the tip of the girl's nose as she would do to anyone with the level of maturity this girl demonstrated. Or what she normally did to a misbehaving dog. She heard some gasps, but she ignored it, crouching down to pick up her things.

Her materials she noticed, were already picked up, and just as she was about to raise while fixing her guitar straight up but the foot of the bully came rushing towards her. She meeped, panic setting through her and causing her to lose balance. Which quickly resulted on resting on her knees and leaning all the way back, just nearly missing the blow within all the quick movement. _Oh just what the fuck was with girls trying to make her feel like shit and start shit?_ Her brow raised at a redhead who extended his arm to catch the foot, and Parker raised to her feet. She noticed in his opposing hand he had her belongings.

"Yuki, I'd think a senior with your intelligence and high position as student body president wouldn't forget their manners in greeting our new students." Yuki instantly blushed in embarrassment before the boy with mesmerizing green eyes, Parker noted, turned and handed the books to her. _Oh no, the pretty boy they have a fan club over came to her rescue. Again, how cliche,_ she thought. _Except wait, he isn't a student, that's weird!_ Though their obvious like over him just gives them more incentive to be mean and jealous towards her.**_ Great_**.

"I appreciate the chivalry, but the situation didn't require you and your white horse for the rescuing. The name is Parker, and I'm new here," she held out her hand, the girls hissed at her, but Yuki kept quiet.

"Minamino, Shuichi," he said, appearing a bit startled by her bluntness and American way, taking her hand and shaking it, before watching her turn to the crowd. "And if anyone wants to fight about it," she said shortly after their introduction. "I've only got an hour after school I can commit to such bullshit." She reminded him of a certain black haired boy he knew. Awkwardly she smiled while he handed her her things, and she pushed back through the throng of students, away and out of his sight.

While her cheeks were still pink and her ears still burning with the scenery the president caused, she smiled almost a bit at how the very cute guy came to her rescue. Though she didn't need it, clearly, though it was nice to have the support. Eyeing Helen's vehicle after scanning the outside of the school grounds for challengers, she climbed in.

"How did it go?"

"I think I left an impression."

* * *

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, I have some very important news. I know none of you work for me anymore," Koenma began slowly, the stress clear under his eyes and the wrinkles on his forehead. "And I know you all aren't kids anymore and have your own lives and families going on." Yusuke and Hiei shot a rather rude look of exasperation and annoyance at him. "Seeing how as three of you play an important role in the three Makai territories, you will be well to know demons have been rounding up for the search of an artifact Spirit World has no prior history on," and with that, George the blue ogre pressed a button to show a brunette on the screen. She had a tall lean figure, but she didn't raise too high. In her hands was a blade.

Yusuke whistled lowly, only wondering to himself, _besides a good screw, what would demons want with her?_ Though he remembered their mission related to the artifact.

"So what's so different't about this blade?"

"It can cut through barriers. We noticed an increase of demons in Ningenkai, so I sent a team out to inspect it." Koenma flicked his eyes and pointed at the screen. "And we came back with the knowledge of this. I want it in the Spirit World Vault where it belongs."

"Does the woman in the photo have anything to do with the artifact?" Kurama asked, his emerald eyes speculating the blade, taking the image and imprinting it into his memory for reference.

"Yes, for she was the last one spotted with this blade. First thing is first though," Koenma began after shuffling the papers on his desk brought out a simple compact case.

"Now I know you all can sense demons and things near, but this device will allow you to see them as red blinking dots in relatively to where they are to you. These demons aren't crossing the barrier to live peacefully, they are hurting humans. Specifically humans like you, Kuwabara, and your sister. Those with a 'sixth sense,' if you will. So while-" Kuwabara lit up at the possibility of meeting more people like himself, turning to Yusuke who interrupted the prince.

"Basically protect the human world all over again," Yusuke shook his head, and Kuwabara shrugged as if that is what was expected as well. Hiei gave a light roll of the eyes. The Mazoku rubbed the back of his neck, he had other things on his mind, like his very pregnant wife. The pregnancy has been a challenge for all of them, considering she was giving birth to a not completely human child.

"Besides the evident obvious part of this mission," Koenma hissed. "Why don't you also use your roles in the Makai to obtain knowledge."

"So even worse, not only do we have a mission, we have to collect information YOU don't have, binky breath" Yusuke groaned with aggravation, hand shifting to his hip. Koenma twitched, but before he could retort, his voice softened a bit in his frustration.

"You know Keiko and I are expecting. Not that I won't help out, but this could be putting us in even more danger considering I have to watch her enough because someone may be getting them to get to me." Kuwabara nodded, and oddly enough remained silent while Kurama spoke up.

"The best place to protect her would be Genkai's. Where not only just us four, but Genkai as well, can watch over her in a safe place. Then Yukina," the redhead put a hand on his companions shoulder. "Can maybe help Keiko with the pregnancy and bring some sort of relief. We can either all stay, with Genkai's permission, or take turns. What about these humans that show signs of spiritual awareness?"

"I was just getting to that, Kurama." Koenma said, before stacking papers neatly together. "As for right now, nothing. Kuwabara, just keep an eye out for your sister as well as for yourself, maybe be best if the whole gang had a reunited front at Genkai's." His eyes scanned the papers in front of them. "We are still learning who is capable of a sixth sense. On that compact, the blue dots show the people we have thus far."

* * *

"You're getting too heavy for me, Luce." Popping Lucy onto her hip, she began humming to the babe to keep her from being the fussy terrible two she was. Helen had a parent teacher conference, so it was up to Parker to now take care of the little one and the house until she came home. In her free hand, Parker prepared some hamburger helper, something she ate almost every night in America and had to order online just to have it here in Japan. Frying the hamburger meat carefully, she turned to glance at the younger one. It didn't take much to make Lucy fall asleep, and her tiny fists held onto her shirt in tight balls.

Getting the meat just right, she turned off the frying pan and began to add the other components when there was a large crash in the living room. Usually the cat, Moonshine, was such a troublemaker and performed acts such as these for attention, but something didn't set right within her. Goosebumps crept up the back of her neck, but she immediately dismissed the noise as the cat who had a habit of making trouble. Lucy had begun crying in distress, obviously feeling Parker's discomfort, and having been woken wide awake from the loud disturbance.

"Make that damn thing shut the hell up," an angry voice bellowed. Parker froze with what she was doing, hazel eyes widening, clutching Lucy to her side and grabbing a kitchen knife from the drawer to her right. _Oh, no._ Her first night watching the house and there was bound to be trouble. She winced lightly, her knuckles turning white from her death grip on the handle. The smell of the meat being cooked filled the kitchen and she didn't even have time to flick the stove off. Helen was going to be so disappointed in her, but these things do happen, Parker tried to rationalize. She would understand. She couldn't control a robbery from happening.

Entering the kitchen was a large blue looking monster, covered in fur. It was evident how angry and upset he was with the child's wailing. His clawed hands were pressed over the ears on top of his head.. the monster's bloodred eyes squinted in his agony. His mouth opened again, large fangs showing and dripping with a... _toxin?_ What in the seven hells... Parker immediately registered that Lucy's crying was causing him pain, and she straightened.

"Take another step further, and I will make her cry louder and I will scream as well."

Just like that, he froze, like he was very shocked with her behavior that she challenged him in a offensive, yet defensive tactic. "How dare you, human-" Then he winced again with the babe's wailing.

"Just make it shut the hell up", he growled, daring to step another step closer. Parker let a piercing scream erupt from her throat, giving the monster a tremor of pain. She stopped screaming and said very shakily.

"G-g-get the hell out of my house, or I can find sounds m-m-much more louder than the both of us combined." Now that she let out some of the bottled adrenaline, she felt the fear captivating her.

"MY KAMI, WHERE IS KUYIKIO?!" He roared. This is where Parker put two and two together. Yukio obviously wouldn't be a victim to these loud noises she and Lucy could make together, and she immediately cursed at her legs to not betray her before sprinting to the back door just to her left. Opening the door, a tall humanlike figure blocked her path and she gasped, backing up. _This wasn't a nightmare, was it?_ Could she have possibly fallen asleep before Helen left?

"About time," the one behind her grumbled. Parker now realized Lucy had fallen asleep at the energy wasted to crying. Dammit, she cursed.

"W-w-what do you all want? W-w-what the fuck are you? You c-can have anything you are after Lucy, you cannot have her." She stammered angrily, but truth was, fear mangled her in the most ugliest form. The man approached her, but she knew he was not a man. He reeked of something she couldn't define, a certain air he had about him. The yellow eyes, and the aura of evil that just oozed off of him. Her gut feeling told her he was just as bad as the monster behind her. He reached out for Lucy, but Parker drew the knife at him.

He was so fast, she didn't even see him grab ahold of her wrist. He proceeded to take Lucy even with her own struggles, growls, and angry curses and placed the sleeping babe in the car seat on the counter she had taken out of the van earlier that day.

"I'm afraid our motivation for the break in is to come after you, and the baby." She felt her heart, as if someone was clenching it tightly in their palm. Why would these fucking creatures want her or her niece?!

"We're not leaving here willingly with monsters like you," she snapped, her protective nature growling at him. Like hell were they going to touch that baby!

Pain erupted from her cheek, and reeked all throughout her body as she found herself on the floor. _He... had backhanded me_, she came to the realization, but there was this burning sensation on her cheek that wasn't from the slap itself. It was so fast, she didn't even see him approach her. Quick breaths came from her, panting in her fear. The monster to her left laughed at her, she knew he was laughing at her. Scrambling for the knife she dropped in the process, his big boot stomped on her hand, and she screamed as her bones broke under his embrace. She could feel tears brimming her waterline, but she choked them back.

"Nah ah ah, I don't think so, human. You need to be punished for your lack of manners," he noted, a rough kick coming to her abdominal area. She could feel the bones inside crack, what she could only guess that was her hand. The metallic taste of blood poured into her mouth, and she swallowed it with a grimace.

"You have no mercy," the monster chuckled. Though the man figure smirked, she felt he was more of a monster than the one who looked the part. She remembered the childhood book, The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers book her mother read her and Helen as childreen. Parker made a mental note, if they ever got out of this, to read Lucy that very book. It was very educational, and very appropriate.

"One more won't hurt," the man snickered, and she closed her eyes to await for it. Every time she breathed it would hurt. She was so confused on what the hell was going on, pain, excruciating pain, vibrated in agony all through her. She tried to stay calm, so her breaths were not short and numerous. Breathing hurt, being alive hurt. She was wishing everything in her being to just make it all stop. The kick she was expecting never came. Opening her eyes, she saw a blur of black and the man.. thing was on the floor beside her... his body parts chopped in two precise cuts. Groaning, she looked to her left, and the monster looked as if he had been wrangled to death with barbed wire.

"Aren't you just the cutest little thing I ever did see?!" A carrot top asked in a baby voice, rocking the car seat to what she assumed was her niece fast asleep.

"Kuwabara, you better not talk to my kiddo like that," another voice replied, hearing the disapproval of his comrade in his voice. She wasn't crying.. _Was she okay?_ Lucy looked more calm than she was feeling, awake again, though that gut feeling of dread left from her. All she could feel was pain and her heartbeat at the back of her throat.

"Are you alright?" Parker managed to look up and see familiar green eyes. Shuichi... She was fighting all urge to black out. The need to stay awake was more painful than the actual physical pain.

"I'm just peachy," she mumbled. "They didn't touch Lucy, did they?"

"No, she's fast asleep, I think the crying wore her out," the carrot-head's hand was wiping away tears off the young one's cheeks. "You may have either cracked or broken ribs from how you're breathing and can you move your hand?" Shuichi asked her, his eyes looked at her cheek, his brows furrowing.

"Sounds yummy." She could hear a couple of snickers around, but didn't want to move her head to see who from. "I can't move my hand, but I can move my elbow. My face hurts and everything feels numb."

"Hn, I wonder why the hell those demons were coming after you." There was an annoyance in this other person's voice. The question was not said like one, more of an accusation. The black blur she saw earlier must be him, for he was the only one completely in black. She gazed at his katana before concluding he was the one who saved her from the man form... She had no idea who took out the furball. She wanted to thank him, but crimson eyes bore down at her in suspicion and disgust. He prevented the extravagant pain she was already feeling from being something just unbearable.

"We're going to take you somewhere safe and get you all bandaged up. It looks like you were poisoned. Are you okay with that?" Shuichi asked, beginning to lift her body up. She groaned at the adjustment, but she could tell he was being gentle as possible. There was something just so calming and gentle about him. It made her feel weirdly and completely... safe.

"Don't worry, we got her. Besides, I need the practice." A black haired boy said with a grin on his face. The larger boy with orange hair held her sleeping niece in arms, and he had a baby bag draped over his shoulder. The site was quite amusing, and that was the last she remembered seeing before surrendering to the blackness.

* * *

It was the rays of sunshine that brought Parker back to life that early morning. She felt numb, but not painful like she had remembered. She didn't recall where she was, but she was in a room with nice wood floors, a single dresser, a closet, and the twin bed she rested on. She noticed her covers from her bed were brought here, and some of her clothes hung in the closet. _This has to be a dream,_ she thought to herself. It was as if she was already perfectly healed, she tested as she removed the covers and stood up. There was a little pain in her abdominal region, and she slowly and carefully flexed her hand, nope._ That was definitely still brokenish. Or maybe fractured?_ She didn't know, but her ribs felt much better and her face? Her uninjured hand touched at her cheek, and there was still a very light sting as she added pressure with her fingertips, but around it felt mostly of healing skin.

She blushed, realizing her torso was completely just covered in a tight bandage wrap, making her breasts pop at the top, what breasts she had at that, and she was changed into a pair of red hakama. Finding a white haori draped over the end of the bed, she grabbed it and tied it to cover herself up. It was similar to what the kids in the kendo class wore, and it was the only reason she knew what they were called. That and through various of anime she used to watch..

Remembering the boys, she prayed it was a female who changed her and patched her up. Slipping out of the room, she glanced both ways down the corridor. It looked as if she was inside of a temple, the wooden floors sleek and polished, and just the ease she felt whenever near a place of Holy worship. Not like she was religious or anything, but it still had that refreshing vibe about it.

"Sleeping beauty has finally awoken," came from a figure to her right. It was an older woman with faded pink hair. "You're still in the process of healing, so I wouldn't move around much if I were smart." Politely, Parker bowed and then inquired.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"Well, the dimwit brought you here and the Ice Maiden and myself patched you up and healed you as much as we could. Kurama put some medicinal salve for the poison after sucking it out. You were out for the night." She winced. It felt like ages ago, and she was hoping the boys who came to her rescue could give her an explanation. _He sucked the poison out of her? But what about him?!_ "They're downstairs. I am Genkai and this is my temple. That is your new room and you are living here until further notice."

"Wait, what?!"

_What the hell for?_ Turning to demand the woman what she meant, she was already gone. Seeing the stairwell, she slinked downstairs, taking each step at a time and followed the voices.

"YOU CHEATED URAMESHI," she recognized that as the carrot top.

"I WON FAIR AND SQUARE. NOT MY FAULT YOU SUCK." Before her eyes, the carrot top got the other boy in a headlock and the two began to wrestle. They must be brothers. She saw Lucy fast asleep on the couch in the arms of a very small woman, just like herself. So some parts of the temple were more modernized, but a lot of things looked as if they were just recently brought to the place. Parker sauntered off, the boys stopping their wrestling to glance at her.

"Hey! How you feeling, Parker?"

"Terribly confused," she said, taking a seat on the couch and pulling the toddler into her arms.

"Kurama, Hiei, Yukina, Keiko, Botan, binkie breath!" Yusuke called in the direction of the kitchen. Everyone began to crowd into the living room. Yusuke draped his arm around the pregnant woman, helping her take a seat on the couch as everyone finished gathering in. The older woman was nowhere in sight.

"Alright Parker, circumstances have changed and we need to reveal some things to you." Came a voice from a... toddler?

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: I am so sorry if this didn't hold up to anyone's expectations as just my first chapter of I hope a long story. It's been **YEARS** since I've posted a fanfiction, on a username I can't even begin to remember. I've recently just gotten back into writing, so things may still be rough. I will only age like fine wine! Please R&R, I am up for all kinds of help and suggestions, so please don't be shy!


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